


[contact created]

by jinwoosmile



Series: astro coffee shop au [5]
Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-09-18 08:50:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9377432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jinwoosmile/pseuds/jinwoosmile
Summary: Dongmin hadn't meant to fall in love with a barista, he swears.





	

Cha Eunwoo would never be caught in the rain without an umbrella. Cha Eunwoo was put together and organized, and would always have checked the forecast before leaving home for the day. And, even if it was unexpectedly raining and he didn’t have an umbrella, Cha Eunwoo would probably be able to produce a poncho from thin air. And then manage to look fashionable in the bulky plastic thing, too.

Unfortunately, Lee Dongmin was not Cha Eunwoo.

Well, he was, but not really- _sometimes_ Lee Dongmin was Cha Eunwoo, but, like, only on sets or when he was doing Official Actor-in-Training Things. The important thing here was that Lee Dongmin was standing on the steps of his high school, facing a torrential downpour, and he had most definitely forgotten to check the forecast and put an umbrella in his bag that morning.

Dongmin sighed, tugging the sleeve of his sweatshirt up to look at his watch. He had nearly an hour and a half before he was supposed to be at the company building to meet with his manager, and then get in the car and drive to whatever schedule they had planned that evening. An hour and a half he was supposed to spend in the library working on homework, but he didn’t think the overly-strict librarians there would particularly appreciate his dripping all over their books and tables.

With another sigh, Dongmin pulled his sweatshirt hood up over his hair and hoped that he wouldn’t get fussed at too badly for it by the stylists he’d have to face later. Perhaps he could just go straight to the company building. _I can do homework on the third floor_ , Dongmin thought as he sprinted out into the rain. It would be relatively quiet up there, even though there weren’t really any good tables and chairs up there for him to use for homework. But it beat working in the lobby on the ground floor, where he’d be in the open for the public to interact with.

A car honked as Dongmin scurried across the road a little too late, the cross light changing to red as he was halfway through the intersection. Dongmin raised a hand and gave half of a bow in apology, but didn’t really slow down. After only a few minutes, he was already soaked through his sweatshirt, his uniform pants getting heavy with water as he darted under the awning of a shop for a brief reprieve from the downpour.

His company’s building wasn’t that far from his school- it had been planned that way, in the same way Dongmin’s dorm with the other trainees was near the company building. In fact, Dongmin was only a block or two away, the grey building within his sight. However, now that he was under an awning and out of the rain, Dongmin was loath to dart back into the water.

Looking over, Dongmin realized for the first time that he’d ducked under the awning of a coffee shop. A glance at his watch for confirmation of the time was all the convincing it took for him to pull open the door and walk inside, pushing his hood off of his head as he looked around. _Or_ , he thought, _I can do homework here_.

Still glancing around, Dongmin crossed the shop towards the counter. If he was going to do homework here, he definitely needed a drink. And also, he was cold. And still a bit wet, but that wasn’t fixable at the moment. A warm coffee, however, could help with the temperature.

“Hi,” said the person that was working the counter. Dongmin looked from the menu to the worker, and watched as the boy’s face turned a bit pink. The boy swallowed, and then asked, “Can I get you anything?”

The boy was cute. Dongmin glanced at his nametag. _Moon Bin_. “Um,” he said, looking back at Moon Bin’s face for a moment before quickly turning his gaze to the menu. He didn’t want to be a burden on this cute boy for too long. “Something warm?” he said, unable to find anything he immediately wanted. Oh _god_ , that was probably more annoying than having an actual order. And then Moon Bin asked him to repeat himself, and Dongmin died a little on the inside. _Definitely annoying_ , he thought, even as he said, “Just something warm.” Then he tacked on a smile, just to try and make things a bit better so this Moon Bin wouldn’t hate him.

Which was ridiculous, because why should Dongmin care about a barista he doesn’t know and likely won’t ever see again hating him?

Except this barista is really cute, with his thin upper lip and cat-like eyes. And really quick at counting change, Dongmin discovers, after he’s agreed to a latte and handed Moon Bin the bills necessary to pay for it.

And maybe Dongmin wants to see him again.

Once he realized that, Dongmin escorted himself to a table, before he could say anything embarrassing. His track record of talking to cute boys was not a very pretty one, and also he didn’t have time to be worrying about pretty boys when he had biology homework to do.

Dongmin concentrated very hard on looking like he was concentrating on his homework. In reality, he was hyper-aware of every move happening behind the counter. When Moon Bin rounded the counter and started walking towards his table, Dongmin quickly looked down at his notes, pretending he hadn’t been watching the counter.

He smiled at Moon Bin when the other boy placed the mug carefully on Dongmin’s table, and tried to contain his happiness when Moon Bin’s face flushed and he ducked back towards the counter.

It was Dongmin’s turn for his face to flush though, when he looked down at his drink and noticed the heart in the foam of his latte.

His head snapped back up, trying to find Moon Bin and catch his eye. Moon Bin’s back was to the shop, busy cleaning something behind the counter. Dongmin looked back down at his cup. There was no way the heart was meant specifically for him- surely it was something they did for all the customers. Right?

 _Right_ , Dongmin told himself firmly. No sense in making this a bigger deal than it was. He took a sip of the coffee, picked up his pencil, and spent the next half hour resolutely not looking at Moon Bin. Instead, he focused extremely hard on biology.

Or he would have, if he hadn’t gotten distracted drawing on a napkin instead. By the time he realized he was drawing a Minion, it was too late to change it to something else. Dongmin cringed a bit- who would want a drawing of a Minion as thanks for being a cute barista? And then Dongmin realized that he was thinking about leaving the doodled-on napkin for Bin to find, and he realized that he was far too invested in this stranger.

 _Time to go_ , he told himself, standing and closing his textbook. _Stay here much longer and you’re going to do something embarrassing, Lee Dongmin._ Things back in his backpack, Dongmin glanced at his watch again. If he left now, he’d be earlier than he was supposed to meet his manager, but staying in the coffee shop any longer could be dangerous for both Dongmin’s dignity and Moon Bin’s image of him.

Not that it mattered. It didn’t matter.

Dongmin threw a smile towards Moon Bin as he tried to look like he wasn’t rushing out of the shop. Once outside, Dongmin took a deep breath. It wasn’t every day that strangers threw him off like this- in fact, he usually liked to think of himself as quite adept at interacting with strangers.

But, it also wasn’t every day the strangers were as cute as Moon Bin.

Trying to suppress a smile, Dongmin bit his lip as he walked up to the edge of the awning. The rain was still falling heavily, but as he darted out into the downpour, Dongmin found himself caring a bit less about it than he had earlier. Instead, he grinned as raindrops hit his face.

Who needed libraries for homework when you could do it in a coffee shop with a drink ( _and a cute barista,_ Dongmin’s mind added) instead?

* * *

Dongmin made a habit of dropping into the coffee shop on his way to the company building. Somehow, Moon Bin was always there. He liked to ask Moon Bin for suggestions on what to order. Dongmin was a relatively indecisive person, but Moon Bin seemed to be good at making decisions. His suggestions for drinks were always excellent, too, so Dongmin figured that he had to have relatively good taste. Either that, or Moon Bin was exceptionally skilled at making coffee.

The longer he continued going to the coffee shop, the more attached Dongmin grew to Moon Bin. He started referring to him as Bin, without his family name, in his thoughts. Dongmin never dared call him Bin to his face, even though he had the perfectly valid excuse of Bin having a name tag that Dongmin looked at every time he walked into the shop.

And when he said he looked at Bin’s name tag every time he went into the shop, he did mean _every time_. He had picked up the habit of glancing into the shop before he entered, checking to see if Bin was behind the counter. It wasn’t anything against the rest of the workers- but, also, none of them were Bin. And honestly? Seeing Bin (and the cute little thing they had going with the napkins) was better than whatever coffee or tea Dongmin ended up buying.

Also, he was at least 80% sure that Bin thought he was cute. That was a confidence boost, and if there was an 80% chance Bin thought he was cute, there was a 100% chance that Dongmin was going to flirt, even if Bin never seemed to do anything but turn red.

Well, he turned red when he noticed Dongmin was flirting. So far, he’d only noticed about twice, and one of those time Dongmin had winked, which was about as unsubtle as a person could get.

Unsubtle enough that one of Bin’s coworkers, a shorter boy with a middle part and brown hair pushed up off his forehead, had noticed. The boy had arched an eyebrow at Dongmin, eyes flicking between the napkin he’d just handed Bin and Dongmin’s face.

Dongmin hadn’t exactly had time to linger that day, but after meeting eyes with the boy whose name tag read _Park Minhyuk_ , Dongmin wasn’t hanging around longer than it took him to give a short bow and duck back out of the shop again.

After that first interaction, Dongmin became a bit more aware of Bin’s coworkers. From what Dongmin could gather, the shop seemed to have two employees on staff at any given time. Park Minhyuk seemed to be closest to Bin. A blond boy whose name tag labeled him _Park Jinwoo_ was also there, but he didn’t seem to work the after school shift as often as Bin and Park Minhyuk. When Dongmin saw both of them behind the counter, it was usually a safe bet to say that Bin wasn’t working that day. Both workers weren’t always behind the counter, though, and sometimes all three of them would be working, so some days Dongmin would have to go in blind.

A short time after he started going regularly, Bin’s co-workers learned his face. They also seemed to know that Dongmin came into the shop specifically to order from Bin. And, oddly enough, seemed willing to help him out with it. When he walked into the shop, if Bin wasn’t working that day, Minhyuk would give him a quick shake of the head. Jinwoo would send a shrug in his direction. Sometimes Dongmin would buy a drink anyway, because he felt bad just turning around and walking out. The first time he did so, Minhyuk had glanced over at Jinwoo. “Don’t tell Bin,” he’d then told Dongmin seriously. Jinwoo had nodded gravely in agreement.

Dongmin couldn’t help but feel a little silly when he nodded as well. It wasn’t like he often managed to say more than his order to Bin. But he agreed anyway, and tried to convince his pattering heart that Minhyuk was keeping it a secret not because Bin didn’t want anyone else taking his order, but....well, honestly, he didn’t know why else Minhyuk would keep it a secret, but Dongmin didn’t want to get his hopes up higher regarding his chances with Bin than they already were.

One day, Dongmin walked into the coffee shop to find Minhyuk alone behind the counter. He hovered, one hand on the door, unsure of whether or not Bin was in the shop. After a moment, Minhyuk looked up and finally noticed Dongmin. The boy threw a glance over his shoulder, and suddenly got a bright smile on his face. He beckoned Dongmin with some quick hand waving, and said loudly, “Welcome! What can I get started for you today?”

Dongmin was sure he was looking at Minhyuk with a perplexed expression as he walked across the shop. At least, until he saw Bin poke his head out of a doorway behind the counter, giving Minhyuk a look with narrowed eyes. Dongmin watched, a smile creeping onto his face as Minhyuk tipped his head in Dongmin’s direction, guiding Bin’s gaze towards him.

It took every ounce of his acting ability for Dongmin not to burst into laughter as Bin’s eyes went wide, and he scrambled to shove himself between Minhyuk and the cash register. Dongmin knew he had an impressive poker face, he only hoped it didn’t come off as stony. In fact, it was probably coming off as stony. Oh god, he probably looked like a cold asshole. Slightly panicked, Dongmin let some of his amusement show and hoped for the best.

Thankfully, Bin seemed to miss most of Dongmin’s facial expression panic. “Go!” he was saying to Minhyuk, back turned to Dongmin. Minhyuk raised an arm like he was going to smack Bin, but he was smiling as he let his arm drop and he finally stepped fully away from the cash register. With an “Aish,” hissed in Minhyuk’s direction, Bin turned finally turned towards Dongmin. He was able to see the moment Bin remembered that Dongmin was the customer standing there, a blush immediately flooding his face. It took a gargantuan effort not to burst into giggles as Bin mumbled a request for his order.

Dongmin had been fussed at about his voice being scratchier than usual, so he ordered a mug of tea and worked on homework at a table for a while. Before he left, he doodled a teabag and wrote a note reminding Bin to take care of himself as the weather shifted. He was still smiling as he walked into the front entrance of the company building, all the way down to the basement, and into the practice room where he was having a posture lesson. Seunghwan, one of his friends also training to be an actor, watched him with narrowed eyes as he entered the room.

“What?” Dongmin asked.

Seunghwan crossed his arms. “You went to that cafe again, didn’t you?” His tone wasn’t accusatory, but Dongmin felt like he was being put under a microscope.

“I did,” Dongmin said. He started stretching a bit to avoid Seunghwan’s gaze, bending over to touch his toes and praying that his ears weren’t as red as it felt like they were.

Seunghwan’s feet were all Dongmin could see, walking around to stand in front of Dongmin instead of behind him. “Your ears are bright pink,” he said simply, and Dongmin felt the flush flood his cheeks. “Oh, Cha Eunwoo,” Seunghwan said, and he was using his insufferable ‘I-was-born-in-1993-I-have-so-much-wisdom-for-you’ voice.

“Hyung, if you’re going to lecture me, at least use my proper name,” Dongmin said, trying to pretend he was unaffected.

“Hush,” Seunghwan threw back childishly. “I can’t believe you went and fell in love with your barista. Are you getting your career mixed up with life, Dongminnie?” he crooned, making a kissy face at him.

Dongmin’s face burned hotter than before as he came up from touching his toes. He didn’t want to admit that Seunghwan was in any way right, but he also definitely had a crush on Bin.

“I have to meet him before you go on any dates.” Seunghwan just kept talking. “As your hyung and sunbae, I insist.”

Dongmin laughed. “You’re not that much of a sunbae, hyung. One more guest spot than me-”

“Is still one more guest spot than you,” Seunghwan said loftily. “Seo Kangjoon is Cha Eunwoo’s sunbae, like it or not.”

Laughing again, Dongmin got a playful swipe at Seunghwan before their instructor walked into the room, and their practice for the evening began.

* * *

Only a few days after their posture lesson, Seunghwan got offered his first leading role in a drama. He immediately disappeared from all of Dongmin’s practices and lessons, and took with him the teasing about Dongmin having a crush on a barista.

Well, the in-person teasing. There were still plenty of texts when Seunghwan was on standby during filming.

_[3:41 PM] From: Seunghwan-hyung_

_did you go to the coffeeshop yet O.O_

_[3:41 PM] To: Seunghwan-hyung_

_I just got out of school. I haven’t even left the building yet._

_[3:43 PM] From: Seunghwan-hyung_

_so you’re on your way to the coffeeshop :3_

_[3:47 PM] To: Seunghwan-hyung_

_Don’t you have a script to study, or makeup to get fixed?_

_[3:47 PM] From: Seunghwan-hyung_

_that’s a yes :DDDDDDDDD_

Dongmin kept training, kept practicing. He kept going to the coffee shop, where Bin continued to take his order and blush when Dongmin smiled at him. He had also started drawing pictures on Dongmin’s to-go cups, sometimes with short messages.

A month after Seunghwan started work on his drama, Dongmin was called into a meeting with the heads of the company and his manager, and his first big role was offered to him. He was ecstatic and proud and also felt a bit like he was going to throw up. His first instinct was to call his mother, which he did, though he wasn’t allowed to say much at all about the offer- just that it had happened, and that he would begin working on it soon.

“ _You’re eating well, right? I’ve heard stories about the diets they make you all go on, I don’t want you starving yourself to be in dramas and movies-”_

“Yes, Mom,” Dongmin said, a bit of a laugh working into his voice. “I’m eating very well. We’re going for barbeque tonight to celebrate.”

“ _Alright! I’m very proud of you, Dongminnie. You’re going to be amazing!”_

Dongmin leaned against the wall, suddenly blinking back tears. “Thank you, Mom. I love you.”

“ _I love you too! Cha Eunwoo, fighting!”_ she said, and Dongmin laughed as she ended the call.

He stood against the wall, looking down at his phone. His heart was still full to the bursting, and he wanted to tell more people.

Well, _more people_ wasn’t quite right. What he really wanted to do was run down to the coffee shop and tell Moon Bin.

Dongmin shook himself. He wasn’t sure if Bin even knew his name, let alone that he was an aspiring actor. Or if Bin would even really care about Dongmin’s life (though if the blushing was anything to go by, he would.) Dongmin chewed on his lip. Maybe he needed to actually give his name the next time he went to the shop.

Instead of running down the street to the boy he barely knew, Dongmin opened his and Seunghwan’s messages and typed out a quick text telling him about the role offer. When he got back a message full of emojis, Dongmin smiled and pocketed his phone. He leaned against the wall for another moment, reveling in the excitement. He was going to be in a drama, as a supporting actor. It was huge.

When his manager called for him from an office a few yards down the hall, Dongmin went happily, a smile stretched over his face.

It took a very short amount of time for him to get busy with the drama. Within a day of accepting the offer, Dongmin was given a full script for the first episode to begin memorizing. His schedule was suddenly full to the bursting, carefully arranged around his school hours. He had read-throughs and costume meetings, photoshoots and screen tests and a million other things he’d been taught to be prepared for but found himself shocked by. Though he’d been an extra and small characters that had one or two episode stints, he’d never had such a prominent role, featured in every episode. It was all he could to do dart into the coffee shop and grab a cup of coffee that was rapidly becoming a necessity rather than a pleasure. In that respect, at least, little seemed to change. Dongmin still went in, Moon Bin still took his order, and Dongmin still forgot to ever tell Bin his name.

Until, at least, the beginning of winter.

It was a Saturday. Dongmin hadn’t had school, which mean he had been open for schedules in the morning. They had spent the open morning at a final photoshoot for promotion pictures, which meant Dongmin had spent a large portion of the (very) early morning in a stylist’s chair, having hair and makeup done. The rest of the day was supposed to be devoted to practicing his musical instruments, for the sake of any future roles that wanted piano or guitar or violin players, and variety shows, his manager reminded him.

“Can’t I go get a cup of coffee?” Dongmin had asked, maybe an hour into his practicing. His manager had dropped into the room to see how he was doing. “I’ve been awake since before the sun.”

It honestly hadn’t taken much convincing. Now, Dongmin was walking down the street and towards the coffee shop, happy to be outside. The brisk wind of rapidly-approaching winter on his face was a welcome change from the stuffy air of the basement. As he drew near to the front door of the shop, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Pausing outside the door, Dongmin took his phone out and looked at his messages.

_[1:21 PM] From: Manager-Hyungnim_

_I’ve been told to remind you that you’re not to get sweets._

_[1:21 PM] From: Manager-Hyungnim_

_I would also like to inform you that if you decide to break the rules, your punishment is bringing back a second of whatever swayed you from your diet._

Dongmin laughed. He would have to remember to give his manager a basket of treats or a very large package of chocolates for his birthday. Still smiling, Dongmin pocketed his phone and pushed the door open to walk into the shop.

Instead of walking into the comfortable, warm atmosphere that Dongmin was used to in the coffee shop, the air felt tense, as if the entire shop was holding its breath. Dongmin looked over at the counter, confused, and found not one, not two, not even three, but _four_ people staring at him.

Dongmin hovered by the door for a second, and that was all it took for Bin to unfreeze and shove a drink at Minhyuk, mumbling something Dongmin didn’t catch as he started walking across the room to be across from the counter.

Minhyuk was delivering the drink to a customer, Jinwoo was rounding the counter with an armful of prepackaged coffee beans, and a fourth person that Dongmin didn’t recognized was openly staring at him, leaning against the pastry display case.

It was more than a bit uncomfortable. Bin, on the other side of the counter, was visibly tense, though Dongmin could tell he was trying very hard not to look it. “Hi,” Bin said, and Dongmin decided he would much rather focus on the cute barista that he liked than the stranger he didn’t know. “What can I get started for you?”

The stranger’s gaze was still on Dongmin. He could feel it. Perhaps he should just get his coffee and exit the shop as quickly as possible. “Just a latte, in a travel cup,” he told Bin, reaching into his pocket to pull out his wallet. Dongmin’s gaze wandered back to the other boy. _God,_ the stranger was still staring. And he was smiling, too.

“Okay,” Bin said, pulling Dongmin’s attention back on him again. He told Dongmin the total, and Dongmin passed him cash to pay for it. As he stood there, tapping a finger against the counter anxiously, Dongmin noticed that Bin, too, was glancing at the stranger. It wasn’t a glance that said the boy was doing anything creepy, though- it looked a bit more like someone waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Dongmin wondered if Bin knew this stranger.

He accepted his change, carefully sorting it back into his wallet. Bin grabbed a to-go cup, and Dongmin was about to step away from the counter to wait on his drink when the stranger suddenly slid up next to him.

“Excuse me, Binnie,” the boy said. Dongmin’s heart did a funny little thing, almost like it had skipped a beat- this person definitely knew Bin. “You’re supposed to ask for the customer’s name.”

Dongmin gulped. He’d never been asked for his name before. “It’s fine,” he said quickly. Maybe this guy was a manager of the shop- Dongmin didn’t want Bin to get in any trouble, especially because of him. “I’m right here, he’s about to make the-”

“No, no, no,” the stranger said, and Dongmin immediately swallowed down his words. The stranger rested a hand on Dongmin’s shoulder, and Dongmin looked down at it, surprised. The boy continued, “It’s part of his job, right, Moon Bin?”

Dongmin looked back at Bin. The way this other boy was speaking sounded just like a manager, but the look Bin was giving him was most certainly not that of an admonished employee. It was the same look that Dongmin gave his younger brother when Donghwi was on the verge of getting chased around the house for being annoying. But the look disappeared behind a polite mask of customer service as Bin turned to Dongmin and said, “Your name?”

The other boy’s gaze was back on him again. “Uh,” Dongmin said. This was most definitely not the way he wanted to tell Bin his name. “Eunwoo,” he said. The instant it came out, Dongmin regretted it, even as he continued, “Cha Eunwoo. That’s it.”

His blood rushing in his ears was all Dongmin could hear through the rest of the conversation. _Why_ did he give his stage name? What purpose did it serve? He didn’t want Bin to date _Cha Eunwoo_ , he wanted Bin to date _Lee Dongmin_ . Stepping away from the counter, Dongmin thought, _Way to lose a perfect opportunity._

“Excuse me? Are you listening to a word I’m saying?”

The unfamiliar voice jerked Dongmin out of his thoughts. The stranger had followed him a few steps from the counter. Now that he wasn’t distracted by Bin, Dongmin realized that the stranger was quite a bit shorter than him. “Sorry,” he said, with a small bow.

“Ah,” the boy said, looking over the counter dramatically and shaking his head. “This is disappointing.”

Dongmin’s brow furrowed. “I’m sorry?”

The stranger kept shaking his head, now clucking his tongue. “Our Binnie can’t date someone that doesn’t listen.”

Dongmin’s blood was rushing in his ears again, but this time for a completely different reason. “I’m- what?”

“Or, maybe that would be better,” the other boy continued thoughtfully, as if Dongmin hadn’t spoken. “He does say a lot of unnecessary things about anime.”

“Anime?” Dongmin repeated.

The stranger smiled brightly at him. “I’m Kim Myungjun,” he said, sticking a hand out. Dongmin took it slowly, as Kim Myungjun continued, “Friends with Park Jinwoo and therefore friend-by-association of Moon Bin. We’ve heard a lot about you.”

Dongmin felt blood rising to his cheeks. “A lot about me?” he said, glancing at the counter. Bin was bent over doing something to his to-go cup, nearly done making the latte.

Myungjun scoffed. “If only you could hear how much he talks,” he said.

“I’d like to,” Dongmin mumbled, before he could stop the words from coming out of his mouth. He felt his cheeks burn even hotter, and a glance down at Myungjun’s broad grin let him know that his slip did not go unnoticed. Dongmin cleared his throat, trying to think of a way to save himself from this conversation, but was saved by Bin straightening and approaching the counter with a completed drink. “Thank you for the conversation, but I really have to go,” Dongmin said to Myungjun, and then he darted forward and accepted the latte from Bin.

Bin looked worried, glancing between Dongmin and Myungjun. Dongmin bit his lip as he bowed in thanks. He didn’t like Bin looking worried. He almost wanted to stay and ask who Myungjun was to Bin, exactly, and how reliable his information was--

Dongmin’s phone vibrated in the pocket of his pants. With a start, he remembered that he had lessons and responsibilities waiting for him back at the company building. Another half bow thrown in Kim Myungjun’s direction, Dongmin rushed out of the coffee shop and into the brisk winter air on the street.

His phone was still buzzing even as he got outside, and he almost fumbled it to the ground as he struggled to answer it.

“ _Are you nearly back? The piano instructor will be here in just a few minutes,”_ his manager said.

“Yes, hyungnim,” Dongmin said, and even to his own ears he sounded a bit breathless. “I’m walking that way now.”

“ _Are you alright? You sound flustered._ ”

“I’m fine,” Dongmin insisted. “Lots of people were in the cafe. I’ll be back in just a few minutes, I promise!” Before his manager could get another word in, Dongmin ended the call, desperate for a few minutes to process all the information he’d just been given.

Bin talked about him. Bin talked about him _a lot_.

Dongmin fought a grin, looking down at the latte in his hands. He’d almost forgotten about it in his excitement. Bin had made it much more quickly than usual, but perhaps-

Carefully pulling the lid of his travel cup up, Dongmin peeked into his coffee. When he saw the heart in the foam, sloppier than usual but there nonetheless, he couldn’t stop his smile from breaking over his face. With the same care he used to pull the lid up, Dongmin pressed it back down before starting his walk back to the company building.

If his manager or the piano teacher noticed the pep in his step as he walked back into the practice room, they didn’t mention it. Dongmin sat down at the piano and went through the motions of practicing, playing for his instructor without really thinking about it. Instead, he thought about Moon Bin, the boy that made him wonderful coffee and talked about him to his friends.

The only way to improve this situation would be if Bin knew his real name.

* * *

Dongmin’s fingers flew over the keyboard of the computer, barely aware of what he was typing. It was 4:42 in the morning, he’d gone straight from school to filming to the library to meet with his teammates for a group project, and then, after realizing none of them had been working on the project that was due in two days, straight to the twenty-four hour internet cafe to try and make up for all the work that hadn’t been done.

He felt mildly like he might break apart into a million pieces, and it sounded infinitely more appealing than finishing an entire twenty minute speech and presentation aid, as well as compiling all their sources and writing their annotated bibliography.

Dongmin shook himself, then squinted his eyes at the computer to look at what he had just written.

_What’s wrong with her? She’s been sensitive since that boy came and threw rocks at her window._

Groaning, Dongmin collapsed back in his chair, hands coming up to cover his eyes. He’d started writing his lines, from a scene they’d done today that had required far more takes than anyone had wanted. Dongmin stayed like that, fingers pressing gently into his tired eyes, for another moment. Then, with a defeated sigh, he lowered his arms and deleted what was definitely not a summary of a scholarly article about Japanese occupation during the world war era and its effects on Korea’s communication channels.

He sat in his chair, staring at the monitor even though it was burning his eyes. It took all of his self-restraint to keep himself from letting his head thunk forward onto the desk (though the thought of the nagging from the makeup noonas he’d get if he showed up to filming with a bruise on his forehead definitely helped, too).

Deciding that he wasn’t going to get any work done in this state, Dongmin saved what he’d finished to his flash drive. He looked at the clock on the screen again, and 4:48 stared back at him, unforgiving. Dongmin stared at it blankly.

It was so _late._

The clock flipped to 4:49. Dongmin sighed heavily and stood up, groaning when his spine popped. If he went straight to the dorm now, he could shower and maybe catch a couple hour’s sleep before his manager woke him up and took him to filming again.

As he stumbled out of the internet cafe, Dongmin thought about the project. In theory, he should be able to finish a project in two days. It was the weekend. But, the weekend meant he didn’t have classes, which meant filming for the drama could go uninterrupted for an entire day’s stretch. If Dongmin brought his laptop with him, he might be able to work on it between filming.

With another sigh, Dongmin looked up from the pavement. It was still dark outside, the sun sure to stay hidden until much later in the morning as winter daylight hours kicked up. As he walked, he realized that his feet had automatically brought him on his after-school route, taking him to the company building instead of the dorms two blocks over. Slowing, Dongmin blinked wearily. He turned, and looked at the coffee shop that he’d unintentionally stopped in front of.

 _Well_ , Dongmin thought. If that didn’t say anything about his subconscious, he wasn’t sure what would.

Taking another step forward, Dongmin looked at the hours for the shop. He looked at his phone. It was just past five o’clock in the morning, and the sign next to the door told him that the shop wouldn’t open for another hour.

Disappointed, Dongmin sighed, and stepped away from the door, turning to start walking away again. If it was five already, he may as well go ahead to the company building. There was a coffee pot somewhere that he could surely use.

Almost as soon as he turned around, Dongmin was suddenly running into another person. There was a moment of confusion, and then the person was mumbling a mild curse, looking at the set of keys sitting on the ground.

“Sorry,” Dongmin said, immediately, and then tried not to choke on his own breath when the stranger looked up and he realized it was _Bin._

Dongmin was regularly assaulted by how cute Bin was. He had an amazing smile, and a high-pitched laugh that Dongmin had been lucky enough to hear on more than one occasion. He drew dumb pictures and made cute hearts in the foam of latte.

Nothing, however, could have prepared him for a Bin that had obviously just rolled out of bed. He was dressed in an oversized sweatshirt underneath a heavy coat, with disheveled hair and _glasses_ , looking up at Dongmin with wide eyes and saying, “No problem.”

Suddenly deeply aware that he probably looked like a zombie, tired and drained, Dongmin tried to fight his rising flush by ducking down to pick up the keys he inadvertently made Bin drop.

It would have worked beautifully, had he not immediately rammed heads with Bin.

Dongmin flew upright, hand coming up to hold his head. He heard Bin choke out an apology, and shook his head and _oh, that hurt._ “No, my fault,” he managed to say. He was about to bow again and escape this awful embarrassing situation, but suddenly his wrist was enveloped by a warm hand and he was being pulled into the shop.

Most of what happened once he was in the shop passed in a blur. He was so tired. Surely this was a dream. Only in a dream would Bin be fluttering around the shop, still dressed in his overcoat and still wearing those oversized glasses and still looking so utterly _adorable_ that Donmin completely missed him asking a question. “What?” he said, jerking a bit once he realized Bin had, in fact, just spoken to him.

Bin’s eyes were wide. “For- for your head,” he said, and then did a little gesture towards his forehead and _oh god his sleeves completely flopped over his hands_ and it was far too much for Dongmin to handle in his sleep-deprived state.

“Oh,” Dongmin said. “No, I’m fine.”

The way Bin nodded at him seemed like he wasn’t quite sure he believed Dongmin. But Dongmin smiled, and that seemed to be enough to spur Bin on to doing his job, because he walked behind the counter.

Trailing behind him like a lost puppy, Dongmin moved from standing awkwardly in the middle of the shop to leaning on the wall next to the counter. The atmosphere was lovely- the coffee Bin had begun brewing filled the shop with the warm smell of roasted beans, and the heat in the shop was starting to kick on and finally chase away the chill of an empty shop. Bin was humming absent-mindedly as he worked, and Dongmin decided that if he could hear the sound every day for the rest of his life he’d die happily.

Dongmin didn’t realize he’d begun to doze off, right there standing against the wall, until Bin’s voice jerked him into awareness once more. He must have made some noise of confusion, because Bin’s grin widened at bit as he said, “Coffee?”

It took a moment to process, but as soon as it did Dongmin nearly pitched forward. “God, yes please,” he said, moving to stand at the counter.

“Eunwoo, right?”

Dongmin’s blood froze, and he immediately felt a hundred times more awake than he did seconds before. “Um,” he said, wondering if there was any way possible not to sound incredibly strange and weird about this. “Actually, it’s Dongmin.”

Bin’s expression went blank. “Dongmin,” he repeated, and Dongmin felt his blood moving again, rushing to his cheeks and burning even if he agreed. “Okay,” Bin said, and his face was still expressionless as he went to make Dongmin’s drink.

Dongmin mildly felt like dying. He could see it clearly- this was the end of his and Bin’s relationship and any future it could have had, because now he had lied about his name and it was _weird_ because, really, _who does that?_

When Bin came back to the counter with a drink in hand, Dongmin had an apology on the tip of his tongue. In fact, he even started to say it- except Bin also started apologizing. For his friend- well, acquaintance.

And then Bin smiled at him again, and it was the same smile that Dongmin had always received- full of teeth, slightly crooked. And then Bin asked if he wanted to stay.

By the time he needed to leave to walk to the company building, Dongmin was only convinced that this entire situation wasn’t a dream because pinches were very painful, and his group project had not magically become finished while he’d been sitting there. He’d spent the entire morning with Bin, a large portion of it just the two of them. Bin had _brought him coffee and pastries._

Perhaps that’s what made Dongmin bold when he was getting ready to leave. Bin had given him so much in a single morning, he felt like he had to try and keep up somehow.

Or maybe he was just so jittery from the caffeine and lack of sleep that his judgement wasn’t at its best. Whatever the reason, Dongmin scribbled not just a note on a napkin, but left his phone number on it as well.

When he was finally in the makeup chair on set, his makeup stylist was appalled at him. “Did you get any sleep last night?” she said, dabbing something that made Dongmin’s eyes sting just the tiniest bit on the dark circles he knew were present.

“I got some,” Dongmin lied, and as she tutted at him he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. When the stylist moved away to get another product, he pulled it out and found two texts.

_[10:37 AM] From: Unknown_

_i hope u take a nap or smth_

_[10:37 AM] From: Unknown_

_staying up all night isn’t good 4 ur health_

_[10:38 AM] From: Unknown_

_also this is moon bin the latte boy_

Dongmin grinned down at the messages, and then lifted his head when the stylist came back and fussed at him for looking down. The next time his stylist moved away, he quickly wrote out a reply and saved Bin’s number.

 _[10:45 AM] Contact Created- Bin_ ♥︎♥︎♥︎

* * *

After Bin had his phone number, they texted almost non-stop. Bin almost always initiated the conversations, texting Dongmin at all hours of the day, about every topic under the sun. He didn’t seem to mind when Dongmin didn’t reply for hours on end, tied up in a schedule or class. Bin would happily fill Dongmin’s phone with messages, replying either to himself or starting new topics over whenever something struck his fancy. It was one of Dongmin’s favorite times of the day, when he could finally sit down and read what was essentially Bin’s stream of consciousness. Once, when he was filming one of his larger scenes for an episode of his drama, Bin had watched the newest episode of one of the animes he followed, and Dongmin had come back from filming to a phone with over a hundred messages of Bin’s reactions.

 _[10:19 PM] From: Bin_ ♥︎♥︎♥︎

_and that’s completely ridiculous one piece is so much better than haikyuu! imo_

Dongmin smiled down at his phone, finally in the van back to the dorms after finishing filming for the evening. Bin had gone from live reactions to the episode to talking about how an anime blog  he followed had tried to assert rankings of anime, and Bin’s favorite had not been put on top.

 _[1:07 AM] To: Bin_ ♥︎♥︎♥︎

_I like Haikyuu! a lot actually._

Tired, Dongmin locked his phone and let his head tip back against the headrest of the seat. It was late, and most functioning human beings (that didn’t pursue careers like acting) had gone to bed long ago.

Which is why when his phone buzzed in his hand less than a minute later, he was caught completely off guard.

 _[1:07 AM] From:_ _Bin_ ♥︎♥︎♥︎

_!!!! u watch anime!!!!!???_

_[1:07 AM] From:_ _Bin_ ♥︎♥︎♥︎

_y didn’t u tell me this???!!!!_

For a moment, Dongmin simply stared blankly at his phone. He tried to think of a response, but apparently he wasn’t thinking fast enough.

 _[1:08 AM] From:_ _Bin_ ♥︎♥︎♥︎

_dongmin this is so important_

_[1:08 AM] From:_ _Bin_ ♥︎♥︎♥︎

_i can’t believe u watch anime ur like actually perfect_

_[1:08 AM] From:_ _Bin_ ♥︎♥︎♥︎

_i’m talking to a quality human being everyone_

Finally, Dongmin was able to get his wits together enough to type out a reply, hoping he’d be faster than Bin’s lightning-speed messages.

 _[1:09 AM] To:_ _Bin_ ♥︎♥︎♥︎

_It never seemed important?_

_[1:09 AM] To:_ _Bin_ ♥︎♥︎♥︎

_Also, why on earth are you even still awake?_

His phone was quiet in response. Dongmin shook his head, hoping that Bin had conked out and was sleeping. _One_ of them had to get decent sleep, at least, and it surely wasn’t going to be Dongmin any time soon.

A text notification made his phone buzz in his hand. Dongmin immediately flicked the notification open, because for all that he wanted Bin to be asleep, it was also nice to talk to him at the end of the day.

 _[1:13 AM] From:_ _Bin_ ♥︎♥︎♥︎

_i...may or may not have gotten in a fight with that blog_

Dongmin laughed out loud, and got a strange look from his manager in the driver’s seat. Quieting quickly, he sent Bin a laughing sticker and locked his phone again, turning his head to look out of the window and hide his happy grin. It didn’t take long at all to get the next reply.

 _[1:14 AM] From:_ _Bin_ ♥︎♥︎♥︎

_anyway what r u doin up mr high-n-mighty why do u get to be up at 1am but i can’t_

_[1:14 AM] To:_ _Bin_ ♥︎♥︎♥︎

_I was working._

_[1:15 AM] From:_ _Bin_ ♥︎♥︎♥︎

_at 1am???!??!!!_

Dongmin bit his lip. This was the perfect opportunity to tell Bin about his career choice. The last time he’d missed an opportunity like this had been the debacle with his name, and the embarrassment from having to sort that out had been excruciating.

But on the other hand, actors were intimidating. They were always busy and a lot of their lives had to be kept under wraps to avoid scandal. Not very dateable.

Dongmin’s phone buzzed.

 _[1:19 AM] From:_ _Bin_ ♥︎♥︎♥︎

_whatever job u have is messed up_

Dongmin sighed, and typed up a message that simply said, “I’m an actor.” He waited until the little “1” next to the message, then sent a sticker of a character hiding behind a bush, because diffusing the situation with humor was the best thing he could think to do, and Bin always seemed amused by his choice in chat stickers.

 _[1:22 AM] From:_ _Bin_ ♥︎♥︎♥︎

_oh_

_[1:22 AM] From:_ _Bin_ ♥︎♥︎♥︎

_that makes so much sense_

Dongmin replied with a series of question marks.

 _[1:24 AM] From:_ _Bin_ ♥︎♥︎♥︎

 _what do u mean “_ _??? ??? ? ? ??” u have the face for it. ur always busy and also always go down towards that entertainment company when u leave_

Blinking, Dongmin wondered when on earth Bin had noticed that.

 _[1:24 AM] From: Bin_ ♥︎♥︎♥︎

_and also the whole cha eunwoo thing_

Oh. That made a lot more sense.

The rest of the conversation went smoothly. Bin didn’t ask questions, didn’t seem like his earth had been shattered or shifted in any way. A weight felt like it had lifted off of his shoulders, and the conversation shifted back to anime as Bin started asking Dongmin about _Haikyuu!_ They texted back and forth all the way up until Dongmin was lying in bed, and he made Bin promise to go to bed now that he was headed that way. Bin agreed, and Dongmin had fallen asleep after typing out a quick ‘goodnight,’ before he even got Bin’s reply. When he slept he dreamt of volleyball and coffee, and a familiar crooked grin.

* * *

The day that Dongmin’s drama finished filming was his first day of break from any kind of schedules and the very first thing Dongmin did was walk down to the coffee shop and tell Bin that he was done. Ever since Dongmin had told him about being an actor, Bin had been asking what project he was working on. Now that they had finished filming, they’d been given permission to start really talking the show up. A teaser clip had been released a few days before, full of footage from the earlier episodes.

Dongmin already had the video open on his phone, in case Bin hadn’t seen it yet.

He tried to appear calm as he walked up to the shop and pulled the door open, a hop in his step as he entered. He found himself disappointed to see Minhyuk was standing behind the counter. While Dongmin liked Minhyuk well enough, his was not the face that he’d been hoping to see.

With a sigh, Dongmin walked up to the counter anyway. He was done filming. Even if Bin wasn’t going to be the one making it, he may as well get a latte anyway to celebrate.

“Hi,” Minhyuk said. He paused, turned at looked toward what Dongmin knew to be the break room, and then turned back. “What can I get started for you?”

Perhaps if he hadn’t been busy being disappointed that Bin wasn’t at the counter, Dongmin may have noticed the sparkle in Minhyuk’s eye, or the grin that had just a bit too much of a devious edge. Instead, he was focussed on pushing away the guilt of ordering a latte not from Bin, unable to completely assuage his conscious with _It’s just a drink, you idiot._ “A latte,” he said. “With an extra shot.”

Minhyuk nodded, quickly keying it into the computer. “That’ll be it?” Dongmin nodded, then handed Minhyuk his card. Once it had been swiped and tucked neatly back into his wallet, Dongmin stepped aside, waiting for Minhyuk to make the latte. He leaned on the counter while he waited, wondering if he should try to strike up conversation. He wasn’t sure if Minhyuk knew he was an actor, though, and that wasn’t quite a conversation he wanted to have when there were other people giving orders and having drinks made.

It only took a few minutes for Minhyuk to finish, and Dongmin eagerly accepted his drink to save himself from debating about talking. He took the cup and moved to sit down at one of the tables in the window. Out of habit, as he was walking, he carefully pulled up the lid of his to-go cup.

Dongmin stopped walking. He closed the lid, looked over his shoulder towards the counter. Minhyuk wasn’t looking at him, was busy helping another customer. Dongmin looked back down at his coffee cup, one hand still perched on the lid. He pulled it up again, thinking maybe he had just missed it, but-

No heart.

Dongmin’s own heart thudded in his chest. He turned around and walked back towards the counter, joining the queue. He waited patiently, carefully stepping up as each person was served and vacated the line. Minhyuk seemed unsurprised to see him when he finally reached the counter once more.

“Is something wrong?” Minhyuk asked, with an innocent tilt of his head.

“Um.” How did he say this without coming across weird? “My latte...it doesn’t have a heart.”

Minhyuk leaned forward. “Sorry,” he said. “I can’t hear you.”

Dongmin swallowed. He definitely hadn’t spoken quietly, but perhaps Minhyuk couldn’t hear him over the chatter of the shop. “My latte doesn’t have a heart in the foam,” he said, projecting a bit so that his voice carried over the counter.

From the back room, a loud thud suddenly sounded, and then Bin was appeared in the doorway, gripping both sides of the frame. Dongmin blinked, surprised to see him.

“We never put hearts in the foam,” Minhyuk said, jerking Dongmin’s attention back to him. He was smiling widely, and Dongmin’s heart rate picked up a bit as he realized this had surely been a set up. He looked back a Bin, who was still frozen in the doorway, limbs askew dramatically.

“I always have a heart,” he said, and Bin’s face flooded with bright pink.

Dongmin watched as Minhyuk, who up until this point had stayed facing Dongmin, schooled his face from a wide grin into a neutral expression. The younger boy turned towards Bin, one eyebrow raised.

Bin’s arms finally dropped from where they’d been braced against the door frame, and his shoulders curved inward as he shuffled a bit past the doorway and towards the counter. Dongmin’s heart lurched as he watched Bin kick at the ground because _oh my god, who let a boy be so cute._

“I always have a heart in my foam,” Dongmin repeated, and even though the other boy was looking at the ground Dongmin could see Bin’s cheeks flush red.

There was a moment of silence where no one spoke. Bin glanced up, looking from Minhyuk to Dongmin from under his eyelashes. Then, gaze dropping back to the ground, Bin mumbled, “Imadethemextra.”

Dongmin had to use all of his acting ability not to break into a grin right then and there. “I’m sorry?”

“I added them extra,” Bin said, voice raised but head still lowered.

Dongmin glanced at Minhyuk, whose face was stretched into an extremely wide grin. He met Dongmin’s eye and urged him to continue with flick of his wrist.

Biting back another smile, Dongmin cleared his throat. “Why?” he asked.

It shouldn’t have been possible, but Bin’s face cheeks turned another shade darker, and Dongmin’s heart stuttered as Bin screwed his eyes shut, cuter than Dongmin had ever seen him before.

“Ilikeyou.”

Dongmin blinked, the corner of his mouth itching to twitch upwards. “I’m sorry?” he said.

“Yeah, hyung,” Minhyuk said. “I can’t hear what you said.”

There was another moment of silence where Bin glared at Minhyuk sharply before he lifted his face and _finally_ met Dongmin’s eyes and said, loud and mildly aggressive, “I like you!”

Dongmin’s smile _burst_ over his face in reaction. He very much wanted to hug Bin and possibly take his face in his hands and also maybe kiss him, but there was a counter between them and they were in _public_ and there were other customers in the shop and baristas and customers getting together were the kind of thing people liked to post about online. Dongmin didn’t think his company would appreciate it very much if his first time being on Naver would be because he kissed a person in the middle of a coffee shop.

All of these thoughts flew across Dongmin’s mind very quickly, but none of them were able to dampen his smile any, especially when Bin started to smile back at him, his grin going crooked and Dongmin’s heart flip-flopped in his chest because Bin’s smile was _beautiful_ and Bin _liked him_ and this was the _best day on earth._

“Oh look, hyung,” Minhyuk said, raising an arm and pulling back his sleeve to reveal a wrist that most definitely did not have a watch on it. “It’s time for your break.”

Bin seemed reluctant to stop looking at Dongmin, but he did turn a bit towards Minhyuk, still grinning. “Is it really?” Without waiting for a response from his friend, Bin turned back towards Dongmin. “Do you wanna join me on my break?”

Dongmin didn’t even pretend to contemplate. “Sure,” he said, and then he walked around the counter and followed Bin into the break room, ignoring Minhyuk’s encouraging fists and mouthed, “Fighting!”

After Dongmin walked into the small room, Bin shut the door, then turned around and grinned brightly. “I like you,” he repeated, and Dongmin’s heart fluttered again. “I’d really like to kiss your face, if that’s alright.”

Flushing, Dongmin tried not to stutter as he said, “Well, just- before that-” Bin was moving closer, arms reaching out and hovering around Dongmin’s waist. He waited a moment for Dongmin to step back, but when he didn’t Bin let the weight of his arms settle there. Dongmin breathed out a sigh. “I’m an actor,” he said, looking at the floor instead of at Bin’s face. “A new one. I don’t have a normal schedule, I don’t have a lot of time to go on dates, I don’t know if I’m even technically _allowed_ to date, and if I am it’s definitely not publicly.” Dongmin steeled himself up and managed to look at Bin, whose face was serious and attentive. “I really like you,” Dongmin said. “But I understand if dating an actor isn’t something you want.”

Bin stared at Dongmin. Dongmin stared back, and when Bin’s face suddenly broke into a smile, Dongmin nearly stumbled backwards with shock.

“I’ll be happy if I have you,” Bin said, and it was surely unhealthy for Dongmin’s heart to be doing this much flipping in one day. “For multiple months all I did was take your order and draw on your cups. We communicated by _napkin_. I think I can handle whatever you want to throw at me, Lee Dongmin.”

Dongmin looked at Bin. He could feel how wide his eyes were. This was going far better than he ever could have hoped, and he slowly started nodding. “Okay,” he said. “Then. Then I accept your confession.” He could feel the smile stretch over his face and watched it be echoed on Bin’s.

“Good,” Bin said, and suddenly his arms lifted off Dongmin’s waist and his hands came up to cup Dongmin’s face and _wait, this is what Dongmin had meant to do-_ “I’m going to kiss you now.”

“Okay,” Dongmin said, because his mind was very rapidly going blank and he couldn’t think of anything else to say and then Bin’s face was moving very close to his and then Dongmin remembered to close his eyes.

After he got over the shock, Dongmin would become aware of things. He’d notice the smell of coffee hanging in the air, he’d become aware of how warm Bin was pressed up against him. He’d slowly be able to hear the soft noise of the shop continuing to function without them, cups clinking and the murmur of people talking. He’d notice how soft Bin’s lips were, and realize how much he enjoyed having them pressed against his. In another five minutes, Minhyuk would come and bang on the door and say something about how Bin’s break only lasted another two minutes and that after that, Minhyuk was going to open the door and have a camera for collecting evidence to give Jinwoo.

Dongmin would go back to the dorms and spend the first part of his first break in a long time laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling while he remembered the kisses, and eventually he’d roll over and text Bin, and they would stay up until the wee hours of the night talking. Dongmin would be happy.

* * *

Dongmin was practically flying as he rushed into the coffee shop. He didn’t have long before he had to meet with his manager to drive to the shooting location for his current drama. Thankfully, the shop was empty when he dramatically burst in, a surprising lack of customers for mid-afternoon.

Bin looked up from whatever he was doing at the counter, and Dongmin grinned as he watched the confusion settle over his face. “What are you doing here?” Bin asked, even as he started reaching for a to-go cup. “I thought you had to go straight to set.”

“I do,” Dongmin said, flicking his hair out of his eyes. “Class ended a bit early so I came straight here. I don’t have long, though.”

“Did you ever have a long time, hyung?” came Minhyuk’s voice, shouted from the kitchen.

Dongmin wrinkled his nose, insulted. “I did homework here all the time last year,” he said, pouting a bit. Bin laughed at his face, reaching over and tapping his nose with the marker he’d been using to doodle on Dongmin’s cup with.

A fake retching noise came from the kitchen. “I can hear you being cute from in here,” Minhyuk called, and only a moment later he appeared, carrying a large tray of lemon cakes in his hand and pausing in the kitchen doorway to glare. “Stop it.”

Bin rolled his eyes, turning back to Dongmin quickly. “What do you want? Anything you’re not allowed to have right now?”

Dongmin shook his head, leaning forward to rest his forearms on the counter. “I’ll take a latte, but I’ll warn you that I’m _very_ particular about how they’re made,” he said.

Bin had moved to start making the latte as soon as the word came out of Dongmin’s mouth, but he still grinned at the rest of the sentence. “Oh yeah?” he said, pressing down the espresso and putting it in the machine.

“Yes,” Dongmin affirmed. “Very picky.”

“Ah,” Bin said. “The worst kind of customer.” His hands were quick as he started making the other parts of the latte, pouring cream and carefully putting a heart in the foam. Dongmin grinned as Bin walked back to him and carefully passed the drink to him. “Does this pass the test?”

Dongmin pretended to think about it. “I suppose it does,” he said, and Bin laughed, lovely and high-pitched as he passed a top to Dongmin to snap on. “I don’t know how you do it,” Bin said as Dongmin set the latte down and pulled his wallet out of his pocket. “Acting and going to college. Just working here while taking college classes feels overwhelmingly busy.”

Shrugging, Dongmin passed him the bills and coins for the latte, long ago memorised. “I drink lots of lovely coffee made by my equally lovely boyfriend,” he said, and ignored Minhyuk’s pointed coughing. A glance at his watch told him he had to run, else he would be facing an angry manager. “I’ll text you later, okay?”

Bin made a noise of disappointment. “You’re going to leave without tipping your barista?” he said, and then closed his eyes and pursed his lips.

Dongmin laughed, but leaned across the counter and gave Bin a peck (even as Minhyuk shouted, “No PDA!”). “I’ll text you,” he repeated, and Bin leaned over and kissed his cheek before he could dart away. “Love you!” Dongmin said, whisking away with his drink in one hand and other digging in his pocket to pull out his phone to call his manager.

“Love you too!” Bin called back, and then Dongmin was outside. In fact, it wasn’t until he was almost walking into the company building that he realized what they had just said. When he did, he halted to a stop, nearly spilling what parts of his latte he’d not yet drunk.

 _Love you too!_ Bin’s voice echoed around in his head. Dongmin replayed it over and over, his smile growing wider even as he began moving again.

Alright, so he had gone and fallen in love with his barista. His live was more than a little bit like the dramas he acted in. But you know what? It was pretty great.

**Author's Note:**

> thus concludes the binu coffeeshop series! thank you so much for everyone that's commented on any and all of the fics, i hope you've enjoyed reading them as much as i have writing them^^ come see me on [tumblr](http://www.jinwoosmile.tumblr.com) if you ever want to chat!
> 
> some things to be said:
> 
> \- i know nothing of how acting trainees or entertainment companies work, this was my best guess
> 
> \- i also know nothing of how dramas work
> 
> \- a very large portion of this was written after the hour midnight on multiple different days, and only my eyes have see this. mistakes and typos are sure to be aplenty, and i apologize for them retroactively


End file.
